Good Nutrition

Unit Overview
Nutrition Labels
Graphing
Percents
Formulas
Final Activities
Selected Resources
Credits




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Activity 2: Graphing
(Student Copy)

Materials

  • rulers
  • Activity 2 Reference Sheets pages 6-7
  • protractors
  • mechanical compasses
  • graph paper

Part A

Use Activity 2 Reference Sheet p. 6 to answer items 1 and 2.
    1. Figure 1 is called a double bar graph. How does it differ from a single bar graph? What does it show?


    2. How many servings of meat are recommended for girls?


    3. In what food groups and for whom is 3 servings of a food recommended?
    1. What do you think the graph in Figure 2 is called?


    2. What is the difference between the number of servings of grain recommended for girls and for boys?


    3. From what food group is it recommended that boys and girls get the same number of servings?
    1. What is the box on the right side called, and what purpose does it serve?


    2. Have you seen one of these (see A) before? If so, where?


    Note that in both graphs on Reference Sheet p. 6, different patterns are used for the bars or boxes used to distinguish between the two types of information (girls and boys). These may also be distinguished by using different colors for each. Also, in the case of the line graph, different types of lines (e.g., solid, dotted, dashed/broken) may be used to represent different things.

  4. Look at Figures 3 and 4 on Reference Sheet p. 7. Why does it take two graphs to show what each graph on p. 6 shows within a single graph?


  5. Which of the three types of graphs on pages 6-7 do you think is best for representing the recommended daily food servings for teenage boys and girls, and why?


Note that the recommended daily servings information provides rough estimates that can vary widely among individuals in a category, depending on various factors such as height and activity level. The guidelines for teenage girls also serves as a basic guideline for children, active women, and most men. The guidelines for active men is the same as for teenage boys.

Part B

Read and become familiar with the following information, which will help you to better understand and appreciate the information and activities that follow.

macronutrients:
fat, carbohydrates, and protein. These nutrients have the prefix "macro-" ("large") because they are the only three nutrients that we need in relatively large amounts and which, almost exclusively, provide the energy we need.
fats:
most concentrated source of energy; excess fat intake has been associated with heart disease and other adverse health effects.
carbohydrates:
most readily available source of food energy; includes sugars and starches; cannot be stored in large amounts in the body; cheapest source of energy and hence a high percentage of food source for poorer nations.
protein:
needed for growth and repair of body tissue; many protein-rich foods naturally include fat stores; extra protein doesn't turn into muscle-it is used for energy or turned into fat.

Part C

1.
  1. How many degrees are in a circle?

    If you made a circle graph to show the composition of a food using percents, how much of the circle would you shade to represent fat if fat accounted for:

  2. 60 out of 120 calories in one serving of the food?
    fraction: percent: # of degrees:


  3. 30 out of 120 calories in one serving of the food?
    fraction: percent: # of degrees:


  4. 30 out of 120 calories in one serving of the food?
    fraction: percent: # of degrees:


2. Explain as many different methods as you can think of for finding each value above:

  1. Fraction:


  2. Percent:


  3. # of degrees:


Be sure that you understand the information in letter B before moving on. Also, be sure that you know how to use a protractor. You will need these concepts/skills to complete the next item.

3. Make a bar, a line, and a circle graph that shows the information in the table that follows. Include all information for each of the three types of graphs on a single graph where possible. Compare your graphs to those on Reference Sheet p. 6-7 to be sure that you are including all important parts. Note that some of the data in the table represent "middle numbers" that fall within a range of different values that come from consulting various sources for the given information. Current fat intake in the American diet is the most variable value, which depends on how the information was gathered, by whom, and in what year. Also, American fat intake is listed in many different resources, whereas the other two pieces of data cannot be found nearly as often. In different sources the percent calories from fat for the American diet ranges from 34% to 42+%. Some sources also list the recommended carbohydrate proportion at slightly lower values and the protein proportion at slightly higher values than those shown.

Current Macronutrient Intake
as a Percent of Total Calories
Recommended* American Chinese
Fats
30%
38%
21%
Carbohydrates
60%
48%
69%
Proteins
10%
14%
10%


*Recommended percentages are to be reached by considering nutrient intake across different foods within a day (in a complementary sense), rather than within single foods, and the percentages can even out to some degree over consecutive days. For example, you might eat a food that is 40% fat then one that is 20% fat, and so forth. Try to get the various foods you eat in a day and over a few days to balance out to the recommended percents listed for the macronutrients in the chart (it is unlikely that the percents will be distributed in that proportion for individual foods you eat). Also, other considerations are important in planning a healthful diet, such as a food's total calories, micronutrient values (vitamins, minerals, trace elements), and ingredients such as food additives (although the perceived detrimental effects of these is debated).

4. Explain two or more ways to determine what size (how many degrees) to make each section on a circle graph when you are working with proportions in the form of percents.


5. Which of your three types of graphs do you think best represents the data? Why?


6. Which macronutrient is the most consistent in terms of intake across the three categories?


7. Do you think the American or Chinese diet is more healthful? Explain why.

Extension/Follow-Up

Complete the chart that follows to tell how you would show each of the listed values for an item on each type of graph named (you may include drawings).

a value of 0
a negative number
Bar Graph
Line Graph
Circle Graph


© Copyright
Area 10 Mathematics and Technology Professional Development Center
Permission is granted to duplicate these materials for classroom use.

Last updated on 1/30/1999
Comments: egalindo@indiana.edu
http://www.indiana.edu/~atmat/units/nutrition/nutr_s2.htm